Massage And Therapeutic Exercise

Massage will be considered as the manipulation of soft tissues, or movements done upon the body; and therapeutic exercise will be considered as movements to joints, or movements done with part of the body.” McMillan, Mary – Massage and Therapeutic Exercise

Muscle and postural imbalances need to be corrected in order to truly achieve health and wellness. If you alleviate the symptoms, but don’t correct the imbalance, it’s just a matter of time before the symptoms return. It’s essential to eliminate the cause.
Therapeutic exercises are prescribed for the patient to perform either in treatment or at home, or both. Strengthening exercises are used for weak, underused areas. Stretching is used for tight, shortened, overused areas.

DeLateur defined therapeutic exercise as bodily movement prescribed to correct an impairment, improve musculoskeletal function, or maintain a state of well-being.^[1]It may vary from highly selected activities restricted to specific muscles or parts of the body, to general and vigorous activities that can return a convalescing patient to the peak of physical condition. Therapeutic exercise seeks to accomplish the following goals:

Enable ambulation
Release contracted muscles, tendons, and fascia
Mobilize joints
Improve circulation
Improve respiratory capacity
Improve coordination
Reduce rigidity
Improve balance
Promote relaxation
Improve muscle strength and, if possible, achieve and maintain maximal voluntary contractile force (MVC)
Improve exercise performance and functional capacity (endurance)

The last 2 goals mirror an individual’s overall physical fitness, a state characterized by good muscle strength combined with good endurance. No matter which types of exercise may be needed initially and are applied to remedy a patient’s specific condition, the final goal of rehabilitation is to achieve, whenever possible, an optimal level of physical fitness by the end of the treatment regimen.